Steam flatiron



Dec. 24, 1963 s. LARCHER STEAM FLATIRON Filed July 6, 1960 FIG.2

United States Patent Ofiice 3,lli,%3 Patented Dec. 2d, 1963 3,114,983 TEAM FLATHQUN Silvio Larcher, Milan, ltaly, assignor to hclymer lndustrie Chimiche S.p.A., Milan, Italy Filed July 6, W60, Ser. No. 41,196 Claims priority, application ltaly July 8, 1959 1 Claim. (Cl. 38-77) This invention relates to a steam flatiron. lt particularly rel-ates to an improvement in the water-feeding system thereof.

For ironing wool fabrics, synthetic fibres fabrics or clothes made with mixtures of both types of fibres, it is often necessary to employ flatirons at a controlled temperaoure. 'llwo types of such fiatirons are in general use, namely an electrically heated type in which the regulation of the absorbed power is effected by inserting a variable resistance in the circuit, and the type, also electrically heated, but provided with a Water reservoir system for producing steam emitted between the sole of the iron and the cloth.

Past experience shows that the temperature controlled electric flatiron, although it supplies a constant quantity of heat per unit of time, has the following defect. Since the optimum ironing temperature is a function of the weight of the cloth to be ironed, a light cloth, that is a cloth having a low heat content, will undergo greater heating than a thick cloth having high heat content. This would not suit the characteristics of the fibre.

The type of flatiron providing direct steam production has the advantage of automatically controlling the temperature at slightly above 100 C. However, it has two marked inconveniences or disadvantages:

(a) Since known steam flatirons are not provided with devices for controlling the amount of water in the evaporating reservoir proper, it follows that, when water is ex hausted during the ironing operation, an excessive increase in temperature occurs, causing deterioration of the fabric being ironed.

([1) \Since it is customary to use non-purified water in the evaporating reservoir, a scale forms causing the obstruction of the passages conveying steam to the cloth being ironed.

An object of the present invention is a steam flatiron in which these and other disadvantages are eliminated.

For this purpose the flatiron is provided with an auxiliary reservoir, which is preferably made of plastic transparent material, or of metal having inspection holes of plastic transparent material, and which facilitates control of the water present, and assists in the automatic feeding of water to the evaporating reservoir.

The evaporator is provided with a cap or plug that per mits access for removing scale.

The accompanying drawing illustrates a preferred embodiment of the invention, without intent to limit the invention thereto.

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal section of the steam fiatiron;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the flatiron of MG. 1.

The flatiron is provided with an auxiliary reservoir 1 made of transparent plastic material, or of a metal provided with inspection holes (not shown) of transparent plastic material, which reservoir contains water that is fed automatically therefrom into the evaporating reservoir lying below it. A constant liquid level is maintained in reservoir 2.

The evaporating reservoir 2 is disposed immediately above the conventional electric resistor (not illustrated) that heats the ironing surface. The lower part of the upper reservoir l is connected to a metal tube 4- that descends into the reservoir 2 to which it feeds water. The lower end of tube 4 is closed and is provided with a horizontal hole 5.

Upper reservoir 1 has a lateral water intake closed by an air tight screw plug 6. Water is introduced by placing the flat-iron in vertical position, "or with the sole 3 in vertical position, and removing plug 6. This fills the entire reservoir :1 and a part of the reservoir '2.

After closing the plug 6 and again placing the flatiron with its sole 3 horizontally, that is in working position, the water in the reservoir 2 will be at a level slightly higher than that 'of the hole '5. It will also be lower than orifice '7 of a small tube 8 which is protected by a small steam dome 112 that separates water from steam.

The generated steam passes downwardly through tube 8 to small apertures 9 formed in sole 3 and is distributed over the fabric being ironed.

The automatic feeding of the Water from the reservoir =1 to the reservoir 2 is due to the fact that, when the water level in the reservoir 2 is lower than the hole 5, steam penetrates into the pipe 4- and hence into reservoir d. This relieves the negative gas pressure in the upper part of the reservoir, permitting the water to flow, until the precedent level is reestablished.

On one end face of the reservoir 2 is a removable plug lid, for the periodic removal of salt deposits. On the other end face of reservoir 2 is a safety valve 11. The fiatiron has the usual current socket (not illustrated).

I claim:

A steam iron comprising a water-evaporating main reservoir, a sole plate below said main tank, said plate having a restricted opening for directing steam to material being ironed, structure disposed in said main reservoir for passing steam through said restricted opening, an auxiliary reservoir mounted on the rearward portion of the iron and above said main reservoir for controlling the amount of water in the main reservoir, a tube connected to the lower portion of said auxiliary reservoir and terminating inside the main reservoir and adjacent the bottom thereof, said tube being provided with an outlet opening adjacent said main reservoir bottom, the forward wall of said auxiliary reservoir being so positioned behind the center of the iron and the volume of said auxiliary reservoir being such that when the iron is turned with its sole plate in horizontal position the water level in said main reservoir just covers said outlet opening.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,109,326 Tricomi et a1 Feb. 22, 1938 2,302,476 Rubens-tein Nov. 17, 1942 2,713,735 Hoecker July 26, 1955 2,744,344 Jepson May 8, 1956 2,825,986 Paulie Mar. '11, :1958 

